


Metal's Other Parent

by Kunoichirin



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto
Genre: Comedy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-28
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2020-05-19 21:09:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19364164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kunoichirin/pseuds/Kunoichirin
Summary: Shinki was more of an adult than several other adults he knew. But a trip to Konoha changes him to enjoy being a kid, and make friends with Boruto and the others. He begins to feel a special connection with Metal, and why is exactly what they are to find out.





	Metal's Other Parent

**Author's Note:**

> Hey... a fun adventure story by your boy. Enjoy! (Also, I admit, I haven't gotten to watch Boruto, so think of this as sort of an alternate universe where different decisions were made if something doesn't add up. I'm sorry.) (Also, this takes place before the Chuunin Exams.)

"We're... visiting another village?" Shinki repeated, a bit of surprise sparking in his eyes.

"Yes. As much as I would like to keep you here, I'm afraid you'd be without me for a week or two. And yes, I know you can care for yourself, I... there's something I just don't trust about the idea." Gaara admit.

Shinki nodded. "Of course. I understand."

"Kankurou will also be accompanying us." Shinki released a small sigh of disappointment.

"I see. I suppose I should've seen this coming." Shinki said.

That was the conversation they had three mornings ago. And now they were here. Shinki felt a bit of nervousness in him.  _Just leave the talking to my father. Don't speak unless spoken to. It'll be easy._

No. No it wasn't, as he had figured out quickly. He found himself wandering about the village while his father had a meeting with the Hokage. And those his age around here were quite talkative.

Shinki was amazed more with the layout of the village than the actual village, and found himself in all sorts of places. Soon enough, he was lost. Perhaps he should've just stayed at the inn with his uncle.

He paused for a moment, thinking of how that would've been, and tossed that opinion away. Shinki should've at least stayed in the general area of it, though. Now he had no idea where he was.

"Hey!" Someone shouted. Shinki guessed it was for someone else, so he didn't turn to see. "I haven't seen you around!" Nope, it was to him. Shinki turned to face a young blonde who he immediately recognized as the Hokage's son.

Shinki nodded, but didn't say anything. Maybe he would just go away. But no. He didn't.

"Um... what was your name?" He asked.

"I don't know yours either." Shinki admit. 

"Boruto! Boruto Uzumaki!" He answered. "What's your name?"

Damn, he was persistent. "Shinki. I'm from Sunagakure." Shinki answered.

"Cool! So, you're the Kazekage's son, right?" Boruto asked.

"Correct. As you are the Hokage's." He saw how Boruto frowned a bit when he said that.

"Yeah. I almost never see him because of that. I'm guessing you know what that feels like." Boruto sighed.

"Well, he's usually home in the evening. He gets his work done, and doesn't slack off." Shinki corrected.

"Unlike  _my_ dad. He's always late and slacking off." Boruto crossed his arms. "But who really cares about that? What about you?"

"Hm?" Shinki raised an eyebrow.

"What do  _you_ do in your spare time?" 

Shinki paused. "I train with my team. Unfortunately, I cannot do that at the moment, so I'm just exploring your village." He paused again, debating on asking for directions. He decided against it. 

"Boruto!" The two turned to see who Shinki recognized as his cousin Shikadai, and a few others running towards them.

" _There_ you are. We've been looking all over for you." Shikadai sighed. "It's a pain." His eyes flickered to Shinki. "Oh, hey cuz. What are you doing here?"

"My father." Shinki shrugged. "Good to see you." Well, he hardly knew him, but it was the polite thing to say.

"Wait, this is your cousin?" A rather plump girl exclaimed. She looked him over. "Huh. Handsome." Shinki raised his eyebrow disapprovingly. The girl ignored it and popped a chip in her mouth.

Shinki then noticed a black-haired boy in a green jump suit. He looked familiar. Like... that guy his father talks about sometimes. "Wh-what? Why are you staring at me?" The boy asked, flustered for some reason.

"You just seem familiar. Sort of." Shinki answered. "Well, no, not you. But you resemble someone- never mind, it takes too long to explain."

"Oh. Perhaps you mean my awesome dad!" All the boy's nerves disappeared and were replaced with pride. "Yup! He's... he's..." He looked at Shinki and cleared his throat. "Never mind."

"No, go on. I've heard all about how great he is." Shinki rolled his eyes. "My father must be really good friends with Lee."

"I'll bet he drives your mom crazy with that." the pale blonde joked. Shinki narrowed his eyes.

"I don't have a mom. I'm adopted"

"Oh... oh... I'm so sorry..." he apologized.

"Gods, Inojin." Shikadai face palmed. "Sorry about him. I haven't exactly told them anything about you, as I never have reason to."

"Understandable." Shinki nodded, keeping himself calm. "Not everyone has both parents."

"Say... speaking of which..." Boruto and everyone's eyes went to the black haired boy. "Do you even know who  _your_ mom is?"

"Well, yeah, but it... was... kinda... not on purpose." He confessed. "But, the weird thing is, I found that he has a wedding ring in his keep-sake stuff." He paused, then added. "Yes, he does keep stuff like that."

"I'm sorry, I feel like I shouldn't be here for personal things like this, should I go?" Shinki asked, taking a few steps back.

"Oh, no, it's fine!" The black-haired boy said quickly. "I don't mind at all!"

"Wait, we never introduced ourselves, did we." the pale blonde pointed out. "I'm Inojin Yamanaka."

"Chouchou Akimichi's my name. Nice to meet you!" She smiled, chips still in her mouth. Shinki hid the disgust he felt.

"And I'm Metal Lee! It is very nice to meet you!" He said, but it sounded rehearsed for some reason. He stuck out his hand. Shinki glanced at it, but didn't take it. He felt out of place.

"I... see." He simply nodded. "My name is Shinki."

"Shinki, is it?" A girl's voice said. He let out a sigh, and only sifted his eyes.

"How many more people are here?" He growled, then cleared his throat. "I mean, that's right. And you are?"

"Okay, I had _no_ idea you were here, Sarada." Boruto scowled.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She turned to Shinki. "I'm Sarada Uchiha. You are Lord Kazekage's son, are you not?"

"Indeed I am." Shinki nodded. He gazed over the people. "Well, I should go back to back to the inn. My uncle might get curious as to where I went, and if he ends up looking for me...I'd rather not go through that level of embarrassment."

"I know what you mean." Chouchou sighed. "Well, catch you later."

Shinki didn't respond. He walked away, trying to retrace his steps. He could ask one of them, but he didn't really think he needed to. After all, he could probably find his way around.

~

Hours later, and he still hasn't found his way back. "No, I've already been down this street. Why is this so hard?" He muttered. His father  _must_ be out of his meeting by now. It was dark already, and he didn't want to be searching in the night. He must be close though, right?

"Oh, hello again, Shinki." Shinki turned to see Metal Lee walking with who was clearly his father. Rock Lee.

"Ah, you've met?" Rock asked. "Gaara's son, right? Shinki."

"Yes. Though it would be more respectful of you to refer to him as the Kazekage. Shinki said, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"Oh, he and I go way back. I called him that for a while, but told me not to say that-"

"To his face." Shinki interrupted. He took a moment to calm down. It didn't matter. 

"Shinki!" Shinki heaved a sigh when he heard his uncle's voice. "There you are!" Kankurou came into view, running up to him, panting. "Your father is looking all over for you!" He looked up to see Rock and Metal. "Oh, hey, how've you been?"

"Hey Kankurou! It's been a while! We've been doing great." Rock answered.

Shinki looked past the two Lees to see his father walking quickly towards him.

"There you are, Shinki." He said. Shinki noticed how Rock Lee's face lit up when he heard his voice. "I see Kankurou found you. It's not usual for you to be out so late. You know, there's nothing wrong with asking for directions."

"Yes, dad, I'm aware. I just didn't think to." Shinki admit.

"Hi, um, Gaara." Rock Lee stammered, looking flustered, and glancing down at Metal a few times.

Gaara turned to see him, and let a small smile slip onto his face, which surprised Shinki. "Hello, Lee. It's been a while." He then glanced down at Shinki. "Good to see you. Um, we should head to the inn for the night. Later see you- er, see you later." Gaara cleared his throat, his face a bit red.

"R-right." Lee nodded. "G-good seeing you." They stood in awkward silence for a moment, looking as though they wanted to say something else, but ended up walking away from each other.

Shinki gave his father a confused expression, but Gaara avoided his gaze, his face a bright red. Shinki thought for a moment, but couldn't figure it out. Some embarrassing backstory? Then why would his father talk about him so much? What was  _up_ with them? What was his father hiding?

He followed his father back to the inn (which he realized he had found, just hadn't recognized), and still couldn't figure it out. Perhaps it was obvious, and Shinki was just overlooking it. Whatever it was, it clearly seemed like his father was hiding it, and if he was hiding something, it clearly meant that it was none of Shinki's business. So perhaps he should just leave it be.

~The Next Morning~

Shinki woke to see his father wasn't there. And his uncle was still sawing wood. Shinki sighed, and stepped out of bed, surprised at how much colder it was outside of his covers. That never happened in Suna, because it was a hot desert. He froze, and let his body adjust to the sudden change in temperature. He looked out the window, seeing that the sun had just risen into the sky; the sky was still dim.

Shinki left the room, went down the stairs, and out onto the empty streets.  _Hm. I would've thought more people would be out this morning._ He caught sight of his uncle Shikamaru walking towards the Hokage's office.

Shikamaru noticed him. "Good morning, Shinki. You're up rather early." He remarked.

"Good morning. Heading to the Hokage's office?" Shinki asked.

"Yup. Although, I doubt Naruto is there already. He usually gets there late." Shikamaru laughed.

Shinki paused. "Wait, what? Then... huh." 

"Is something wrong?"

"I thought my father might've been discussing something with the Hokage, but... if he's not at his office... then where..." Shinki trailed off.

"Perhaps he just went to get some fresh air. I hear the inn rooms are rather stuffy." Shikamaru suggested. "I should get going now. Nice seeing you." He walked off, leaving Shinki to his confusion.

"Or..." Shinki thought for a moment. Perhaps he had gone to see Lee? They seemed awfully close. He shrugged it off and headed out to go get food with the money his father had given him.

As he was walking down the street, he saw Boruto, Metal, Shikadai, and a pale blue-haired boy Shinki hadn't seen before, subtly looking into the window of a restaurant.

"What are you doing?" He asked, clearly startling three of them. The blue-haired boy didn't seem startled.

"Areyoucrazygetdown!" Boruto exclaimed through grit teeth, alarmed, and pulled Shinki out of sight of the window. Shinki glanced into the window, seeing his father with (yup, he was right) Rock Lee.

"Why are you stalking my father?" Shinki asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Stalking is a strong word." Shikadai said.

"Although, if you were to use that word, we would be 'stalking' _Metal's_ dad. Your father just happened to be there." The blue-haired boy said plainly.

"No! We're not _stalking_ anybody!" Metal whispered. "We're just trying to figure out who my dad was or is married to. And we aren't getting anywhere, as he's just talking with your dad."

"Hm. I've never seen my father smiling this much. He looks relaxed." Shinki commented. "Usually, he's tense and doing piles of work. He almost  _never_ smiles."

"Really?" Boruto said in a loud whisper.

"It's not  _that_ hard to believe." Shikadai pointed out. "He's a busy man."

"Yeah, so's my dad, but I see him grinning like an idiot all the time!" Boruto countered.

"Guys, shh!" Metal shushed them.

They fell silent and watched while Lee and Gaara just talked, laughed together, and surprised Shinki at every reaction.  _This might be the first time I've ever seen my father laugh. He's just so... relaxed with this guy. I feel like I'm missing something really obvious here._

This continued for a few minutes, until they left. And the group of boys subtly followed. Shinki didn't know why he was going along with this, as every part of him was yelling at him 'Stop! Stop! This is wrong!', but he kept going.

_No, no, this is wrong. This is not okay. Stalking is not okay. If Metal's dad is hiding something, that's his own business._ one part of Shinki's mind was going. The other was disagreeing.  _But... as Metal_ is _Lee's son, he does deserve to know. Besides, this could be interesting._ Shinki decided to stick with the group and see if they could figure something out.

"Wait, where'd they go?" Boruto whispered. The group looked around. Indeed, they were gone.

"How-" Shikadai started, then just trailed off, confused.

"Perhaps they noticed us." the blue-haired boy suggested. Shinki noticed just how snake-like the boy seemed. The boy turned to Shinki. "I'm afraid I don't recognize you. I'm Mitsuki."

"Shinki." Shinki introduced, then turned to the others. "My father is a master at randomly disappearing silently. Like this morning. And every other morning. It happens all the time."

"Oh. Maybe we'll try again later. Want to join us?" Metal offered.

Half of Shinki's mind was ringing with an alarm.  _Don't do it! No! Bad idea, bad idea! What if you get caught? It's wrong!_ And yet, what came out of his mouth was; "I suppose.  _Someone_ has to keep you guys out of trouble."

"Yes!" Metal exclaimed. Shinki raised an eyebrow. _What the- why is_ he _so happy?_ "This'll be great! Like an undercover spy team!"  _That is extremely childish, why am I doing this?_

"Hm. Could be fun." Shikadai agreed.

"Totally! I'm in!" Boruto exclaimed.

"Then I will join as well." Mitsuki nodded.

_This is sooo childish. I'm probably going to regret this._ And yet he didn't leave. Why, he had no clue. If this were Suna, he'd high tail it outta there, but he felt a strange... connection with these guys. They were way more friendly than he was used to anyone being. Other than his uncle Kankurou. But he was just straight up embarrassing.

"We should have code names!" Boruto exclaimed.  _Maybe I should reconsider... this is getting weird._  

"Like... agents 1 through 5?" Metal suggested.

"That's not very creative." Shikadai pointed out.

"Yes, but it's simple and easy to remember." Mitsuki cut in.

"I agree." Shinki nodded.

"Alright!" Metal cheered.

"Wait, but why do we even  _need_ code names?" Shinki asked.

"Funny you should ask. This is why." Boruto said, pulling out earpieces. "We can speak to each other through them."

"Where did you even-" Shinki shook his head. "Rather,  _why_ do you have them?"

Boruto stared at him sheepishly for a moment. "Anyway, here." He passed them out to the four of them. He hooked it around his ear, with the end into his ear, like an earbud. The rest of them did the same.

"I feel like this is a bit extreme..." Shinki said.

"So, there's a button on the top piece inside your ear that you press, and then we can hear you, and faintly the people around you." Boruto explained, completely ignoring Shinki. "I'll be Agent 1, Metal will be two, Mitsuki is three, Shikadai is 4, and Shinki is 5. Also, for us to stop hearing you, you need to press the button again."

"Hm, interesting." Shikadai remarked.  _Okay, maybe I_ should _just-_

"This'll be great! I already feel pretty close with you, Shinki!" Metal grinned.

_Nope, nope, I can't abort. I'm not a monster, I shouldn't crush his dreams. Kids have dreams, even if you don't._ Shinki thought about that last sentence for a moment.  _Wait, what?_

"If we see anything, we press the button and report." Boruto finished. He stuck his hand out. The others put their hands on top. This was not a gesture Shinki had ever seen before. Metal looked at him, and nodded at the pile of hands, signalling for him to add his hand. Shinki did, and was startled when they threw their hands up.

_Is that, like, a team thing or...? I'm so confused._ Shinki thought.

"Alright, head out." They all split up, leaving Shinki there, still confused.

_What have I gotten myself into?_ He thought.  _Gods, it's like I'm stuck in a kid's game. Damn._ He figured he'd make the most of it, and walked around town (after grabbing a map from a nearby stand), looking for any sign of Metal's father.

Nothing.

There was static in his ear for a moment, and then Boruto's voice. "Agent 1, reporting. Apparently, Metal's dad and Shinki's dad are still hanging out. They're just walking and talking about some boring- no, no, wait, something strange just popped up. They're talking about... Metal and Shinki... something they don't want them to know... I'm too far away to hear, they're really quiet. Must be important. I'll try to get closer."

"Something they don't want us to know?" Metal repeated. "Agent 5, you don't think..."

Shinki pressed the button. "Think what?"

"That we have some sort of connection?" Metal asked.

"Perhaps. But maybe they're talking about people they're seeing, and they don't know how we'd react?" Shinki suggested. "I feel like we're missing something really obvious. I don't know why I can't figure it out?"

"Me neither." Shikadai's voice added. "I usually have a knack for this kind of thing, but I can't think of anything..."

"I can't get close. They almost caught-" Boruto was cut off by the faint voice of Shinki's father.

"What are you doing?" He said.

"Code red." Boruto whispered, then raised his voice. "Stealth practice. As you detected me, I have a lot of work to do." Shikadai snickered a bit. "Ah, so, I'll leave you two alone..."

"You'll get there eventually!" Rock Lee's voice encouraged. "We're just very observant!"

"Yeah, that's my dad for you." Metal sighed. "Wait, they can't hear us, right?"

"No." Boruto whispered. "The mic can pick up noises, but the sound I'm getting from you guys can't be heard because of a special kind of rubber that only keeps the sound in."

"Ah. I see." Mitsuki's voice said. "The sun is rising higher into the sky. It's actually quite beautiful."

"Agent 3, focus on the mission. We've hit a code red." Shikadai replied sternly. "Agent 1, what's your current position?"

"The code red has passed, I'm pretending to walk away- and I lost them." Boruto sighed. "How do they do it?"

"Well, from what we've heard, we are getting somewhere." Shikadai pointed out.

"Keep your eyes out, team. They should be around the street the ramen shop is on." Boruto said.

Shinki looked down at his map. "Alright. I have an idea. But for it to work, I'm going to need to talk face to face with you guys. I'm still at the restaurant."

"Copy that, Agent 5." Metal said. "Hear that team? We're getting back to the restaurant. Agent 2, out."

"Roger." Boruto said.

A few minutes later, they were all back outside the restaurant. "So," Shinki layed out the map, and took out a pencil. "We need to split this village in five parts." He drew a line down the middle. "Two of us are going to- wait." An idea went through his head. "Can we get Inojin a part of this?"

Boruto's face lit up. "Yes! I have another communication device on me, and then it'd be even! I'll go find him!" He ran off, in the direction Shinki guessed Inojin lived.

A few minutes later, Boruto came back with Inojin. "Alright, Boruto explained everything to me," He said, putting in his earpiece. "This is crazy, and we could get Metal in a lot of trouble if his father figures it out. This is going to be really fun. Like a secret mission."

"Alright, so, we're splitting areas here." Shikadai said, nodding for Shinki to continue.

"We'll take areas depending on our numbers." Shinki began.

"You're number 6, Inojin." Boruto whispered.

"1, 2, and 3 will take the top three areas, and 4, 5, and 6 will take the bottom three." He continued, splitting up the areas for everyone to see. "Alright, Agent 1?"

"Yup." Boruto nodded. "Everyone, head out!" 

They all split up in the directions of their posts, with Shinki keeping the map because he didn't know the village as well. He arrived, taking place in an ally. People were active by now, out in the streets and doing things. Shinki didn't usually like to be around too many people, as he liked quiet places to train with his father or teammates. But there was a certain excitement he wasn't used to inside him. He didn't usually like to play games, but we was enjoying this.

"Agent 1, in position." Boruto's voice crackled.

"Agent 2, in position." Metal reported.

"Agent 3, in position."

"Agent 4, in position."

Shinki pressed his button. "Agent 5, in position."

"And Agent 6, in position." Inojin finished.

"Good." Boruto said. "Agents, report in. Any sign of the target?"

"Not that I can see." Metal answered.

"Area 3's clear too." Mitsuki added.

They heard Shikadai give a frustrated sigh. "I just saw him, but I can't seem to find him now."

Shinki looked into the streets. Sure enough, there they were. Lee and his father. "Target spotted in area 5." He reported.

"Don't lose sight of them, Agent 5." Boruto ordered.

"Yes, sir." Shinki sighed. He had left his Iron Sand at the inn (I don't know if he can actually do this, but in this he can, so... yeah) so he wouldn't stand out as much, so that gave him a better chance at not getting noticed by his father.  _Seems luck is on my side this time._ He thought, while going through the streets at a safe distance.  _So father and Metal's dad are really close. I feel like I'm... missing... oh my gods. Maybe I'm assuming things, but... the way father was smiling... are they...?_

He ducked into an ally when his father glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, god." He whispered. "Why couldn't I see this before?"

"See what before?" Metal's voice crackled with static.

"It's so obvious! I just think I figured something out. If I'm right, I'll tell you what it is. For now, I'm going to continue to follow the set target." Shinki breathed.  _Loving one outside one's village, and a_ man _too. I didn't think that was even a possibility. Metal said he was an accident- an accident of who? That doesn't matter, but it all adds up. The ring I had found in father's room- and the ring Metal said he had found... I_ can't _be wrong! But I need to be sure..._

"I'm sorry, I can't understand what you're muttering." Metal said.

"I'm muttering?" Shinki exclaimed. "Whoops. It's nothing. Or, at least, I don't know. Let me get back to you." He poked his head out of the ally to see that he had lost the two of them. "Dammit! Why did I look away?"

"Agent 5, is something wrong?" Boruto asked.

"I lost them- him." Shinki admit.  _This is wrong, this is wrong, I shouldn't be doing this. If my father is married to a man, so what? It would explain why he talks about Lee so much. But... these guys aren't as mature as I am-_ I _shouldn't be as mature as I am. How would they react? Would they understand? Rrgh, I wish I knew them better!_ He paused, something sinking in.  _Wait... if those two are married... doesn't that mean that Metal is my brother?_ "So that's why..."

"Why what?" Shikadai asked.

"Are you alright?" Inojin added.

"I'm... not sure..." Shinki answered. "I'm so... confused. It doesn't matter."

"I've spotted them." Inojin said.

"Alright." Boruto replied.

Shinki felt a hand on his shoulder, and jumped, whipping around. "Shinki, what're you doing here?" 

"A-aunt Temari... hello..." Shinki greeted her.

"What- why is my mom there?" Shikadai asked, a bit of panic in his voice.

"I'm here because my father brought me."

"Wait..." Temari's face darkened. "You mean Gaara came to town and didn't tell me?!"

"And Uncle Kankurou." Shinki added.

"By the- how  _dare_ they!" Temari took a deep breath. "Do you happen to know where they are?"

"Get out of there, Shinki! Abort! Abort!" Shikadai's voice warned. 

"Don't tell her! It'd ruin everything!" Boruto added.

"I..." Shinki took a few steps back. "Am not obligated to tell you the information you seek."  _Dammit._

Temari's eye twitched. "Oh, really?"

"Gods, she's gonna kill you!" Shikadai's staticy voice shouted in his ear. "Run, run! Abort!"

"Well, Uncle Kankurou is at the inn still, I believe. But I'm afraid I've been ordered not to tell you the location of Lord Kazekage." Shinki said simply.

"What are you doing?!" Shikadai shouted, sounding rather agitated. "Run!"

Temari gave him a raised eyebrow. "Is that so- what is that in your ear?"

"Uh..."

"She knows too much! Abort! Abort!" Boruto ordered.

"Run! Run!" Metal screeched.

He did. Shinki bolted from there right after hearing Metal's warning.

"Hey, get back here!" Temari shouted after him.

"We have entered a hostile position, and I'm being, ah, chased by my crazy aunt." Shinki reported.

"Should we send in a distraction?" Mitsuki suggested.

"Get his uncle. He'd play as a nice decoy." Inojin pointed out.

"Yes! Just get her off my back; she's crazy! And faster then me, so I don't have long!" Shinki cried into the mic.

"Alright, just hold on!" Metal replied.

~What Happens With Kankurou~

Shikadai (because he was closest to the inn) raced to the inn, and went up to the front desk. "Excuse me," He said, out of breath. "But could you tell me which room Kankurou from Sunagakure is in? This is a family emergency!"

"Of course. He's on the second floor, room 243." The woman at the front desk said. The second she finished, Shikadai ran off towards the stairs. He ran up, looked at each room number as he past them, and skid to a stop when he saw room 243.

Shikadai burst through the door, slamming it against the wall, startling Kankurou. "Quick! Come! We need you!"

"What- huh? What happened?" Kankrou exclaimed, tumbling out of the bed he was in, slipping on his shoes and racing to follow Shikadai.

"Shinki is in potential danger!" Shikadai explained. 

He heard Boruto laughing through the earpiece. "Potential? This is life or death with _your_ mom!"

"Why are you laughing?!" Shinki exclaimed. "This is serious! Agent 4, how's it going?"

"We're on our way." He whispered in response.

~Back To Our Life-Or-Death Situation~

Shinki was doing well to avoid her, and was relieved when he saw Shikadai leading Kankurou to him. Shikadai then ditched him suddenly, leaving Kankurou there, confused. He then saw Shinki retreating from Temari and immediately knew what was going on.

"T-Temari? Why are you chasing- augh!" Temari, who noticed him, stormed over to him and shook him by his shirt. 

"Why didn't you  _tell_ me you were in the village?! I'm your sister for the gods' sake!!" Temari shouted at him. She took him by the ear and basically dragged him away.

Shinki let out a sigh of relief. "Danger averted." He reported. Everyone released relieved sighs.

"Alright. Agent 4, back in position?" Boruto asked.

"Affirmative." Shikadai confirmed.

"Agent 6, have you-"

"Yes, lost sight of the target in all the panic. I have  _no_ idea where they went, I'm sorry." Inojin sighed. "Agents 3 and 5, keep a lookout just in case they went into your assigned areas."

"Will do." Shinki nodded.

"Indeed." Mitsuki agreed.

Shinki looked around a bit. "Although, I believe it's more likely for them to have gone into area 3 because they would've most likely gotten caught up in all the hassle over here in area 5."

"I'll keep an eye out." Mitsuki said. "They could be anywhere, though. You never know."

"He's right. And even with the six of us, there's a lot of area to cover." Boruto pointed out.

"Well, they were talking about something they didn't want Metal and Shinki to know, so maybe they're looking for a secluded area to talk." Shikadai suggested. He was silent for a bit, as though he was thinking. "Shinki, what you had figured out earlier... I think I've come to realize the same thing."

"Don't say it out loud before we actually know, alright?" Shinki said quickly. "I don't know... they must be hiding it for a good reason, so..."

"No, I understand." Shikadai interrupted. 

"What? Don't hide things from us!" Metal protested.

"Just-"

"I've spotted them." Inojin interrupted. "Everyone, I think you'll want to see this. Everyone come to area 6. Now."

From the tone of his voice, he was serious. Shinki gulped, wondering if he were right.

~

Everyone was hiding in the bushes, watching the pair talk.

"They're mature enough to know. It's not that big of a deal, Lee." Gaara sighed.

"They're teenagers, Gaara. Teens go through strange emotional trauma like-" Gaara lowered his gaze, a regretful look in his eyes. "Ah, never mind. What I mean is, they develop. We could probably tell them when they're older-"

"Emotional trauma? They are ninja. And we should treat them as such. You said we'd tell them once they were both graduated." Gaara said firmly.

"Yes but-"

"But nothing. I know you're worried. Don't be. I still think we should've told them sooner so they'd grow up knowing, but hey, no, 'they're kids and won't understand', is what you said." Lee flinched.

"Alright, alright. But think of their youth-"

"By the- if you think it's wrong, then why did you marry me in the first place?!" Gaara snapped.

The group was silent, but gawking. Shinki and Shikadai fist bumped as if to say 'we called it'. 

"Because I love you! What other reason did I ever need?" Lee protested.

"Exactly. Love. That's it. That's all it ever is or ever will be. Not two men, not two woman, or a man and woman, it's just love." Gaara pointed out. "They can understand that! At least, I know Shinki can. But I don't know  _anything_ about Metal because we  _had_ to stay in our own villages. We haven't- oh, never mind."

"I hate arguing with you." Lee sighed. "You're too handsome."

Gaara put his red face in his hands. "Why are you like this?" His muffled voice complained.

Metal had put his own face in his hands. "This is so embarrassing." Metal whispered.

Shinki awkwardly patted him on the back. "We're gonna have to get used to it, brother." He said. Metal looked up at him. "Too soon?"

"Too soon." Metal nodded.

Shinki then snuck out from the bushes, dragging Metal with him. When they were out in the open, Shinki cleared his throat. The two adults whipped around to see their two sons.

Gaara's reaction was relief. Rock Lee's reaction was to tense up and freeze.

"Hello, fathers." Shinki greeted them normally.

"Hello-"

"Howlonghaveyoubeenthere?" Lee asked, a nervous smile on his face. Gaara sighed.

"Lee, it's fine." He said. "You heard. Good. That means there's no going back." Gaara's eyes narrowed towards Lee. "Sorry that we didn't tell you sooner, but-"

"Don't worry, father, we heard the whole thing." Shinki assured him. He nudged Metal, who looked as nervous as his dad.

"We are so sorry to have been following you instead of asking! It was wrong of us!" He looked back at the others, and jerked his head towards them. They all filed out in a line, and bowed respectfully.

The two adults looked startled. "Y-you've  _all_ been following us?" Lee stammered.

Gaara put a hand on his shoulder. "Child curiosity: the spirit of a child." Gaara smiled as Lee put his face in his hands. 

The boys all took out their earpieces and handed them back to Boruto (all were turned off).

"I'm actually quite impressed with how well you carried out you 'mission'." Gaara commented. "And Shinki." He turned to him, smiling a beautiful smile. "I'm glad you let yourself have fun."

Shinki smiled back. A small smile, but it surprised everyone; even Shinki himself.

"So, I'm guessing other people know?" Shinki asked.

"Well of course. We had a wedding." Gaara shrugged. Lee burst out laughing. Gaara sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You just reminded me of something I would've rather forgotten."

"What?" Metal crossed his arms and attempted to lean against his brother, but Shinki stepped back so he fell.

"Oops." Shinki shrugged. Gaara narrowed his eyes at him, but still had a small smile on his face.

"So... you're not going to tell my mother about this... right?" Shikadai asked. Everyone burst out laughing. "What? I'm dead serious! If she heard about this, she'd  _kill_ me!"

"Like she nearly did to me if Uncle Kankurou... if..." Shinki trailed off. "I wonder what happened to him."

~What Happened To Kankurou~

Use your imagination. I can tell you it had a lot of ranting, shouting, throwing of shoes, and a lot of unpleasantness for him.


End file.
